In the glass hauling industry, there are many different types of glass racks and glass transportation methods. For example, the most common method of transporting large lites (sheets) of glass (96″ tall by 130″ long or larger) over the road has been on a flat bed trailers, in various glass racks that are removable or fixed to the trailer.
There are, however, several disadvantages associated with transporting glass sheets on a flat bed trailer. For example, the glass sheets must be loaded on the trailer by an overhead crane, which requires a large capital investment by the shipper and consignee. Another disadvantage is the manual load preparation process. Once loaded in place, the glass sheets must be padded, secured, and tarped to protect them from the elements. The loading process is also dangerous and difficult for the person performing the work. An additional disadvantage is that both the loading and unloading process are very time consuming, often causing disruption in the production flow of many glass manufactures.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a transportable rack and methods of using the transportable rack that overcome the disadvantages of known systems and methods while offering features not present in known systems and methods.